Occupational Therapy News and Research

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Ink Rx? Welcome to the camouflaged world of paramedical tattoos

The first fingernail tattoo started off as a joke by a man who lost the tips of two fingers in a construction accident in 2018.

18 Feb 2020

What to do if your home health care agency ditches you

Craig Holly was determined to fight when the home health agency caring for his wife decided to cut off services Jan. 18.

4 Feb 2020

Why home health care is suddenly harder to come by for Medicare patients

The decision came out of the blue. "Your husband isn't going to get any better, so we can't continue services," an occupational therapist told Deloise "Del" Holloway in early November. "Medicare isn't going to pay for it."

3 Feb 2020

Exercise found to improve video game performance

Time spent playing video games is often seen as time stolen from physical activities. Research has shown that exercise has many physical and cognitive benefits.

31 Jan 2020

Primary care needs to be improved to help young stroke survivors return to work

The role of primary care needs to be improved to help young stroke survivors return to work, according to a new study from Queen Mary University of London and the University of Cambridge.

28 Jan 2020

Government-funded day care helps keep seniors out of nursing homes and hospitals

Two mornings a week, a van arrives at the Escondido, Calif., home of Mario Perez and takes him to a new senior center in this northern San Diego County town, where he eats a hot lunch, plays cards and gets physical therapy to help restore the balance he lost after breaking both legs in a fall.

23 Dec 2019

Study may help explain why deep-brain stimulation does not work for everyone

People with severe Parkinson's disease or other neurological conditions that cause intractable symptoms such as uncontrollable shaking, muscle spasms, seizures, obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors are sometimes treated with electric stimulators placed inside the brain.

10 Dec 2019

Patients' own stem cells offer a step toward improving motor, sensory function after spinal cord injury

Stem cells derived from a patient's own fat offer a step toward improving -; not just stabilizing - motor and sensory function of people with spinal cord injuries, according to early research from Mayo Clinic.

27 Nov 2019

Virtual reality clinic could make it easier for stroke survivors to attend therapy sessions

Researchers have created a virtual reality clinic to make it easier for stroke survivors to attend their physical and occupational therapy sessions.

22 Nov 2019

Woman with severe spinal cord injury recovers after treatment at Danbury Hospital

A freak accident left Katherine (Kathy) Wenning unable to move her upper body. She knew she needed medical attention, but she was at her country getaway in Washington, Connecticut - two hours by car from her home in Manhattan and the New York medical system she trusted.

14 Nov 2019

Sit, heal: Dog teaches military med students the merits of service animals

The newest faculty member at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences has a great smile — and a wagging tail.

11 Nov 2019

New portable system could allow for better detection of unilateral spatial neglect

Imagine struggling to see, listen, or make movements in half of your environment. This is typical for individuals who suffer from unilateral spatial neglect, a common post-stroke deficit of attention to objects or events on the side opposite of the brain injury. The condition has a major impact on the everyday lives of stroke survivors and has shown to be a strong predictor of disability.

23 Oct 2019

Researchers receive NIH grant to better assess and monitor patients recovering from stroke

According to the American Stroke Association, stroke is the leading cause of disability in the United States. For patients recovering from a stroke, paralysis or loss of muscle movement on one side of the body can make daily chores and tasks more difficult to complete.

3 Oct 2019

Enhanced rehab helps older patients recover more fully from ailments

Goal-oriented, motivational physical and occupational therapy helps older patients recover more fully from broken hips, strokes and other ailments that land them in skilled nursing facilities for rehabilitation, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

31 Jul 2019

Measuring pupil dilation and heart rate using AI could enable earlier diagnosis of autism

Autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders often aren't diagnosed until a child is a few years of age, when behavioral interventions and speech/occupational therapy become less effective.

24 Jul 2019

Sophisticated prosthesis can be directly controlled by thoughts

EU-funded researchers and industrial partners are developing a system that allows a person to control the movement of a prosthetic hand simply by thinking of commands. A patient recently underwent surgery to implant some of the project's ground-breaking technologies.

12 Jun 2019

Therapeutic effects of gardening for psychiatric patients

It began as a modest investment of space and money -- an unused, raised outdoor planter bed at UCLA's Steward and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital and $350 worth of plants, soil and gardening tools.

14 May 2019

Researchers develop standard measurement tool to evaluate pediatric facial palsy

An international team of researchers, including a psychologist at Oregon State University, has developed a standardized measurement for pediatric facial palsy that will improve the care for current and future patients with the condition.

9 May 2019

ACR and Arthritis Foundation release two guidelines on juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Today, the American College of Rheumatology, in partnership with the Arthritis Foundation, released two guidelines on juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

30 Apr 2019

Study finds different amounts of physical therapy for stroke patients

Medicare-covered stroke patients receive vastly different amounts of physical and occupational therapy during hospital stays despite evidence that such care is strongly associated with positive health outcomes, a new study by Brown University researchers found.

25 Apr 2019